Perseverance: Broke to Billions: Barriers in Business and Strategies to Remove Them

A POST HILL PRESS BOOK

Perseverance: Broke to Billions:

Barriers in Business and Strategies to Remove Them

© 2020 by Chuck Whittall

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-1-64293-661-2

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-64293-662-9

Cover design by Alyssa Curry

Interior design and composition by Greg Johnson, Textbook Perfect

This is a work of nonfiction. All people, locations, events, and situations are portrayed to the best of the author’s memory.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.

Post Hill Press

New York • Nashville

posthillpress.com

Published in the United States of America

We should want to pass along what we know, provide opportunities for those seeking them, and lift others to see over walls to view the vast opportunities they may not have otherwise been aware existed.

—CHUCK WHITTALL

To you, the reader, who will go the extra mile in life.

To the individual who didn’t grow up privileged but realizes there is no barrier you can’t get through regardless of your background.

To those who have been bullied and risen above with the unstoppable desire to succeed.

To people who have been told they can’t but do.

To the optimistic individuals who would throw a life preserver rather than a bucket of water to one who is drowning.

To those who give back to others and can see the greater good.

To the fighters—those individuals who truly don’t give up but choose to persevere.

I have relentlessly, with all my heart and soul, persevered my entire life through everything I have done. This book is for all those who have or will now make the choice to persevere.

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Inspiration

Chapter 2: Defining Who You Are

Chapter 3: Determined Not to Fail

Chapter 4: Rebuilding After the Great Recession

Chapter 5: A Reflection on My Experience

Chapter 6: Building Wealth through Real Estate

Chapter 7: Caring About People

Chapter 8: The Deal that Led to Billions

Chapter 9: Sustaining Wealth

Afterword

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Foreword

In life there are visionaries and vision makers. Visionaries are a dime a dozen. They see possibilities and do nothing. Opportunity slips by, over and over again. They just can’t pull the trigger for a variety of reasons. The real reason is always fear.

The vision makers are few and far between. Oh yes, they are fearful, but their instincts and belief in themselves allow them to go forward. To be bold. To dream and then do. Visionaries are dreamers. Vision makers are doers.

Chuck Whittall is a vision maker extraordinaire. The impossible to most is possible to him. Fear is not an emotion that fills him. He is not reckless or erratic, but determined and thoughtful. When most people see obstacles, he sees a back door, a tunnel, or comes in by helicopter. The most desirable projects become his because he finds a way. Like magic tricks, they all seem simple once you know how they’re done. 

I invest with Chuck because I have seen his magic over and over again. I think of myself as a vision maker, and I admire them. I know how hard it is to say yes when all the smart people are saying no.

His reputation is impeccable. Our town is a small circle. Bad reputations are well known. Chuck is known as an honest doer who does what he says. Over time that reputation becomes one’s legacy.

Chuck is a dreamer and a doer. He is the one who says yes when most say no. He is the rare visionary who then becomes the vision maker. I can’t wait to learn about his latest vision. And if he is kind enough, I would like to invest. I own race horses and spend lots of time at tracks. But when I bet, I rarely bet on the horse. I always bet on the jockey. If Chuck is riding, I don’t care what horse he is on. I’m betting on him.

—John Morgan

Faith Without Works Is Dead

Introduction

I’ve always known I was meant to do something significant with my life. I had to do the work and define who I was before I knew in what capacity. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, kids in school called me poor, which made it uncomfortable just being there. I was often bullied and beat up because of their perspective of me. I didn’t feel I carried myself any differently than the other kids, so I didn’t understand why I was viewed that way. From that point on, I was determined to figure out a way to stop kids from making fun of me for being underprivileged. I couldn’t control the way people felt about me, and that was okay, but if there were a way to change my circumstances, I would be relentless in finding it because it didn’t feel good being perceived that way.

As a kid, my vision was limited to what was around me, but I found ways to nurture my creativity. I took the initiative to climb the proverbial wall and see what was on the other side. I’m not implying that what I saw was more comfortable or better—but there was more real estate, which equated to further opportunities. Once I realized what existed beyond the limitations of my environment, my desire to set and achieve bigger goals led me in the direction of my destiny, and there was no end—because the world is covered in real estate!

That self-realization of believing I was meant to do more derived from being present throughout my journey and paying attention not only to what I needed, but also to the needs of others. If I wanted to be impactful, whatever I did had to be effective enough to be life-changing and lasting. So I began. It wasn’t easy, and it didn’t happen quickly, because I had to be a good student, committed to the work that needed to be done, learn from the experts, and remain optimistic in my approach. But I had to identify why I wanted to be successful and what success meant to me.

It took years, but what I had access to first was learning how to successfully operate a company through trial and error, and then I learned how to grow it. When my practices and foundation were unyielding, and opportunities were there to fight for, I worked to help the people around me achieve success by showing them how the power of perseverance works. Refusing to quit or give up on something despite difficulties takes discipline, work ethic, patience, and passion. It’s never easy, but in the long run, it’s worth it, and it will definitely knock out some of the competition. In short, having perseverance created my financial independence. How? I fought hard.

My past left me with the most inspiring and disheartening memories. We all have them. It’s what we do with those recollections that shapes our outlook and determines our future. That’s why I reflect on the experiences I’ve had during various stages of my life. I recall people I’ve met along the way and obstacles I was forced to overcome. Those encounters are what caused me to make decisions that kept me pursuing the path I traveled—and in time, it all made sense.

There were occasions when my decisions didn’t bring what I expected to fruition. However, as though divinely created, I knew that path was mine. It was up to me to go the distance despite the barriers I was sure to stumble upon, and I had plenty. I still have them. The difference is, I don’t possess a negative way of thinking; I’m an optimist. I put energy toward finding solutions that lead to positive results. If you don’t see a solution, create one.

The jobs I’ve had and businesses I’ve built were fun, meaningful adventures that caused me to crave more out of life. I didn’t want more out of greed; I wanted more because I was confident that I was capable of obtaining it. I paid attention to details and became observant of situations and moments that inspired me to do what I love—and that was build. I didn’t want to have a good job and create an income. My objective was to build properties people loved along with a successful career, which would stem from having behaviors that were congruent with my mindset.

When I began this journey, I didn’t have any money. I worked for everything. Starting from broke, I invested time in learning how to do things properly while understanding the reasons some things didn’t work. In the process, my confidence evolved, and I became resolute in decisions I made about my future. I was determined not to fail at being successful, and developing a strong work ethic at an early age contributed to my success. Working turned out to be the litmus test that helped me realize I would never be content unless I owned my own business. Once I adopted that thought process, it never faded, and I never deviated from the path I chose regardless of hardships or losses. Being a quick study, I took those transferable lessons and moved on. When the time was right, I made a resurgence in the business of real estate armed with a wealth of experience and knowledge. My willingness to persevere through the Great Recession, a devastating global economic downturn, produced the ability to negotiate the deal that led to billions. And the deal that I made is one that you should make, too.

Several occurrences during my formative years prepared and positioned me for my journey as well as the outcome. One way or another, our experiences always do. With a relentless work ethic, time and perseverance, that dirt path led me to where I am now, the CEO of Unicorp National Developments. We are a nationwide real estate development company that has exceeded $3 billion in construction and continues to grow. Although it wasn’t easy, the route to this destination has had a significant economic impact, and we are far from done.

One of the foremost critical aspects of building a successful business is caring about people. Investing in the success of others and constructing a winning team invested in the success of the company should be a seamless process. When you accomplish that, you’ve done something special. I’ve discovered that there is no better way to build a business than taking care of your people first because they are family. If you want your family to trust you, display confidence in your decision-making and leadership through hiring competent individuals that you trust and respect. My intent was to inspire every person at Unicorp to instinctively do the same with one another. I take pride in having cultivated that; however, my biggest accomplishment is that the success of Unicorp National Developments has allowed me to enrich the lives of many people around me. I believe that is an unspoken responsibility of being successful.

Although Unicorp is thriving and operating successfully, I still drive around perusing properties. It’s instinctive and connects to my unwavering passion and curiosity. If I find something, I determine whether it’s economically feasible. A strength that has been invaluable in my business is that I am a visionary. I create value because I can imagine much more density and what the end product will be. When I have an idea for something, I sketch it out by hand—letting my creativity escape onto paper. I can look at something, envision it differently, and interpret what I see to the architects who design it. I see undeveloped properties for what they could be. When I buy real estate, people tell me all the time, We never saw that, and that’s good. My goal is to make memorable properties where people enjoy the quality of them as well as the landscape. Unicorp’s track record has made it easier to move forward.

Building wealth is one thing, but being diligent in working to sustain it is another. One incredible deal can make you, and another can wipe everything away if you have not invested in learning how to sustain wealth. After nearly four decades in business, I wouldn’t be where I am without having a solid financial acumen. That wasn’t always the case, but I learned that it’s a critical prerequisite to success.

Over time, and with each business transaction, I’ve achieved something so substantial that it has changed my life. In this book, I have disclosed a plethora of barriers in business and communicated strategies to remove them. I’ve explored practices that have contributed to my success along with the perseverance it took to go from broke to billions. My intent is to encourage you to find your path and stay the course of building financial independence regardless of the adversity you are certain to encounter.

At some point, everyone in the world will face adversity—the loss of children, family, and friends; health-related issues; financial challenges; personal struggles; and hardships in business. It’s how you choose to deal with